Album

As a two-disc summary of Herbert von Karajan's career with Deutsche Grammophon, this set, called Karajan Gold, can't be bettered. Though the choice of repertoire emphasizes the Austrian maestro's lighter side—there's no Bruckner or Mahler here to disrupt the flow of instantly identifiable masterpieces—the selection still highlights what Karajan could do with an orchestra. Drawn predominately from his work with the Berliner Philharmoniker from the later part of his career, these recordings show that few conductors had such consummate control of their forces as Karajan. From the whiplash tutti crash of Bizet's Carmen Prélude through the smooth string legato of the Valse from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, the adeptly modulated crescendo of Ravel's Boléro and the starkly sculpted structure of the Allegro con brio from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to the richly flowing sonorities of the Moldau from Smetana's Má Vlast, Karajan is clearly in complete control of every aspect of the music-making. And with that control, Karajan creates performances of unsurpassed sumptuousness. The tonal opulence of his Vivaldi, Bach, and Pachelbel may seem overdone to fans of the purer tone of historically informed performance practice and the sonorous depths of his Grieg, Suppé, and Offenbach may seem over-plumbed to fans of more lively performance styles. But few would argue that the result is not 21 tracks of purest Karajan gold captured in either splendid stereo or deluxe digital sound.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Georges Bizet Composer Carmen (opéra-comique)...Act 1 Work Recorded 1982 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
1	1.Prélude	2:21			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Serenade in G, K.525 ('Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'; 'A Little Night Music') Work Recorded 1981 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
2	1.Allegro	5:40			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Violin Concerto in D, Op.61 Work Recorded 1979 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Anne-Sophie Mutter Violin
3	3.Rondo: Allegro	10:23			$1.99
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer Serenade for Strings (or piano, 4 hands) in C, Op.48 Work Recorded 1980 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
4	2.Valse	4:11			$0.99
Pietro Mascagni Composer Cavalleria rusticana (opera) Work Recorded 1967 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wolfgang Meyer Organ
5	12.Intermezzo Sinfonico	3:32			$0.99
Johann Strauss II Composer An der schönen, blauen Donau (Blue Danube Waltz), Op.314 Work Recorded 1980 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
6	An der schönen, blauen Donau (Blue Danube Waltz), Op.314	11:47			$1.99
Johann Strauss I Composer Radetzky-Marsch, for orchestra, Op.228 Work Recorded 1980 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
7	Radetzky-Marsch, for orchestra, Op.228	2:26			$0.99
Antonio Vivaldi Composer La primavera (Spring) in E, RV269, Op.8, No.1 Work Recorded 1972 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Michel Schwalbe Violin
8	1.Allegro	3:26			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Orchestral Suite No.3 in D, BWV1068 (includes 'Air on the G String') Work Recorded 1983 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
9	2.Air ('On the G String')	6:03			$0.99
Edvard Grieg Composer Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46 Work Recorded 1982 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
10	1.Morgenstemning (Morning Mood)	4:07			$0.99
Maurice Ravel Composer Boléro (ballet) Work Recorded 1985 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
11	Boléro (ballet)	15:47			$2.49
CD 2 of 2
Gustav Holst Composer The Planets, suite for orchestra and female chorus, Op.32, H.125 Work Recorded 1981 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
1	1.Mars: The Bringer of War	7:17			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Symphony No.5 in C-, Op.67 Work Recorded 1977 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
2	1.Allegro con brio	7:08			$1.49
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Symphony No.9 in E- ('From the New World'), Op.95 Work Recorded 1985 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
3	2.Largo (containing theme 'Going Home')	12:25			$1.99
Johann Pachelbel Composer Canon and Gigue in D, for 3 violins and continuo ('Pachelbel's Canon'), T.337 Work Recorded 1983 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Frank Maus Harpsichord
4	Canon and Gigue in D, for 3 violins and continuo ('Pachelbel's Canon'), T.337	7:05			$1.49
Gioacchino Antonio Rossini Composer La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie; melodramma)...Act 1 Work Recorded 1971 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
5	1.Overture	9:55			$1.49
Jules Massenet Composer Thaïs (opera)...Act 2 Work Recorded 1967 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Michel Schwalbe Violin
6	7.Méditation	6:00			$0.99
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer Nutcracker (suite from the ballet), Op.71a Work Recorded 1966 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
7	3.Waltz of the Flowers	7:06			$1.49
Franz von Suppé Composer Light Cavalry Overture Work Recorded 1969 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
8	Light Cavalry Overture	7:36			$1.49
Jacques Offenbach Composer Les contes d'Hoffmann (opera)...Act 4 (performed as Act 3 in some version) Work Recorded 1980 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
9	1.Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour ('Barcarolle')	3:32			$0.99
Bedrich Smetana Composer Má vlast (My Fatherland), JB 1:112 Work Recorded 1985 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
10	2.Vltava (The Moldau)	12:35			$1.99